“It’s outrageous”, “Always funny” – Fans question national team decision to not play Liverpool superstar in favor of Premier League rival
Fans criticized Brazil manager Fernando Diniz for starting Ederson Moraes in goal over in-form Liverpool superstar Alisson Becker after the former had a performance to forget in a 2-0 loss against Uruguay last night (October 17).
Alisson hasn't featured in Brazil's starting XI since being knocked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup last year. Diniz has opted to start Ederson for all of the Selecao's games this year despite the Liverpool shot-stopper arguably being the best in the world in his position on current form.
Brazil faced Uruguay at the Centenario on Tuesday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The game was evenly contested for the most part with both teams having limited chances. However, Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez gave Uruguay the lead in the 42nd minute with a powerful header from distance, which Ederson could have done better to save.
Uruguay doubled their advantage in the 77th minute with Nunez taking advantage of Ederson being out of position. Despite being surrounded by Brazilian defenders, the 24-year-old slipped the ball in to Nicolas de la Cruz who smashed home to make it 2-0.
Ederson had a poor game, failing to make a single save and having an accurate long-ball rate of 25%. Fans slammed him on X (formerly Twitter), with many claiming Alisson should have started in goal.
One Liverpool fan posted:
"Thrilled for Darwin but you gotta say, what is Brazil thinking starting Ederson over Allison. He’s not half the keeper Allison is. It’s outrageous."
Another fan wrote:
"Brazil playing ederson over Alisson is always funny to me because Alisson is 10X better but at least he gets to rest during international break I guess"
Brazil are now third in the CONMEBOL standings with seven points from four games, five points behind leaders Argentina.
Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai impresses for Hungary in 2-2 draw against Lithuania
Liverpool summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai put in a captain's performance for Hungary last night (October 17), registering a goal and assist to secure a 2-2 draw against Lithuania in their 2024 UEFA Euros qualifier.
Lithuania took a shock 2-0 lead in the first half with Fedor Cernych (20') and Pijus Sirvys (36') getting on the scoresheet. Hungary rallied back in the second half, halving the deficit in the 67th minute via a Szoboszlai penalty. The latter also assisted Barnabas Varga 15 minutes later to secure a vital point.
Hungary are at the summit of Group G in the Euro qualifiers with 14 points from six games. While they weren't quite able to seal qualification, Szoboszlai will be aiming to seal the deal against Bulgaria on November 16.